1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to folding knives, specifically to an improved method of stopping the opening blade of such knives.
2. Description of Prior Art
The evolution of the folding knife, and its related mechanisms, has made dramatic improvements in recent years. Custom knife makers, such as myself, have developed numerous innovations aimed at overcoming the inherent weaknesses of a knife that folds into itself.
The two main advantages of a folding knife, as opposed to a fixed blade knife, are that it can be reduced to a more compact configuration for comfortable carry and it does not require a separate sheath to protect the user from the sharp edge.
The main disadvantages of a folding knife, as compared to a fixed blade knives, are as follows:
(a) A folding knife, being constructed of multiple moving parts, can never be made quite as strong or quite as reliable as a fixed blade knife.
(b) A folding knife poses a greater danger to the user than mere breakage because a mechanical malfunction may allow the sharp blade to close on the fingers.
(c) A folding knife is much slower to deploy in an emergency because of the additional and necessary step of opening the blade before using.
The direction that the evolution of folding knife design has taken is that of attempting to solve the inherent shortcomings of folding knives as compared to the fixed blade knife. Custom knife makers and factory knife designers everywhere are hard at work in an attempt to make folding knives stronger, safer and faster. There exists a vast body of prior art related to folding knife design, most of which is directly aimed at solving one or more of these three primary weakness.
A recent trend has been to build folding knives of heavier stronger components while at the same time developing mechanisms that allow for a very fast opening of the blade.
This new trend has generated a new problem in that a heavier faster opening blade has the effect of greatly increasing the impact upon the blade stop. The result of this condition is that makers are experiencing high failure rates for locking mechanisms, blade stops and the surfaces that locate the blade stop.
Accordingly, the object of my invention is to solve the problems associated with the use of the heavier, faster opening blades of modern folding knife design.
The xe2x80x9cshock absorbingxe2x80x9d blade stop offers a simple elegant solution to a difficult problem through the use of easily made components, such as a lathe turned blade stop provided with o-ring grooves and easily available components such as commercially made o-rings. O-rings are made in a wide variety of sizes and materials. Urethane which is among the most durable and therefore the more desirable of the readily attainable materials is also available in a variety of durometers ranging from hard to soft so that correct combinations are easily achieved.
The chief advantage of the shock absorbing blade stop is to dramatically reduce the wear and deformation of the blade stop, pivot pin, and locking mechanism of a folding knife, when that folding knife is subject to the abuse associated with hard and fast opening of a heavy blade.